


Before I Get Off The Floor

by aguamala



Series: I'll Be Your West Coast, Honey [21]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: (for good reason), Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Attempted Assault, Cuddling & Snuggling, Multi, Panic Attacks, do not copy to another site, ft seungmin and his distrust of jisung's cooking, jisung and his sudden need to feed seungmin All The Time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:01:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29942808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aguamala/pseuds/aguamala
Summary: Seungmin doesn’t know how it got so late, but he’s the only one left at the company building.Or, a walk home goes sideways and Seungmin deals with it with the help of Jisung and Chan.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Han Jisung | Han, Bang Chan/Han Jisung | Han/Kim Seungmin, Bang Chan/Kim Seungmin, Han Jisung | Han/Kim Seungmin, OT8 - Relationship
Series: I'll Be Your West Coast, Honey [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1475081
Comments: 4
Kudos: 128
Collections: A Light In The Hallway 'Verse





	Before I Get Off The Floor

**Author's Note:**

> This fic includes an attempted assault and the immediate aftermath, including a panic attack and mild dissociation. Please skip this one if that will trigger you or squick you out.

Seungmin doesn’t know how it got so late, but he’s the only one left at the company building. He doesn’t usually like walking home alone, but he hates when it’s raining. He can’t smell or hear anything and it’s awful. On top of that, he forgot an umbrella today so he has to have his hood up, obscuring his hearing even further. 

He tucks his head down and power-walks, hoping to get back to the dorms as soon as possible so he can curl up with Jisung under the covers and be safe and warm. Thunder rumbles overhead and Seungmin speeds up just a little bit as his heart jumps. 

A hand grabs his wrist and Seungmin barely avoids screaming. When he turns to see a tall form and a leering grin, he breathes in to do just that. The man’s other hand clamps over his mouth before he can.

“Quiet, pretty. Wouldn’t want to disturb anyone, right?” 

Seungmin starts flailing, but the man – with a smell he now distinctly notices as some mix of giant and werewolf – catches both his wrists in one hand while keeping his mouth covered. 

“Easy now, pretty omega.” Seungmin glares up at him, trying to bite at his hand. “You’ll be good for me, won’t you, little one?” 

Hearing Hyunjin’s nickname for him twisted out of this man’s mouth gives Seungmin the extra strength he needs. He draws his knee up sharply, aiming high. The man drops, releasing Seungmin for just a moment, but a moment is all he needs. He punches the man in the face, trying not to cry out at the pain in his knuckles, and takes off while he’s still dazed. 

He barely registers where he’s going, just that he’s following traces of a familiar scent. His head feels fuzzy and he can’t really feel his legs but he’s running. 

It seems like forever, but eventually Seungmin sees the dorm. With one extra burst of speed, he sprints the rest of the way there, barely managing to get his shoes off before he bursts inside. He almost slams the door behind him, only just catching it when he remembers how late it is. He wishes he could slump against the door and sigh in relief, like what happens in the movies, but he’s still hyperventilating and can’t figure out how to relax his muscles. 

“Minnie?” A soft call comes from the living room. “You okay, darling?” 

_ Oh, no. _ Seungmin thought everyone would’ve been asleep by now, but of course Chan’s still up. 

“Yeah,” he chokes out. 

“You don’t sound too okay, cherry.” Dammit, Jisung’s still awake too. 

Chan and Jisung come into the entrance area, but the image of shadowy figures approaching just spikes Seungmin’s heart rate again and he can’t help but press against the door, his barely-controlled breathing becoming erratic once again. 

“Hey, hey, easy there.” With a quick snap, Chan summons a small witchlight and lets it hover over the three of them, easily illuminating the whole area. He casts a careful glance at the ceiling, seemingly reading something Seungmin can’t see, before putting his hands out in a placating gesture. Jisung copies him, warm eyes worried and meticulously checking Seungmin over for any obvious injuries. 

“Can you breathe with me, darling? In, hold, out, okay? Thank you.” Chan’s voice is calming, steady, and Seungmin tries his best to match his breaths with Chan’s. It doesn’t work very well but Chan just keeps talking in that same calm voice and eventually his breath evens out. He still feels like his teeth are vibrating and he can feel his pulse pounding in his fingertips, but Jisung is gently removing his coat and replacing it with an arm across his shoulders. 

“Seungminnie? Can we walk you over to the couch?” Jisung squeezes his shoulders a little when Seungmin doesn’t respond for a few seconds. “Seungminnie?” 

Seungmin blinks a couple times, trying to clear the fog from his brain. He nods jerkily, frustrated at the lack of control he has over his own body. Damn, he forgot how absolutely awful panic attacks are. 

Seungmin distantly feels Chan wrap a warm arm around his waist and he thinks they move, but he doesn’t really register anything else until he’s sitting on the couch and Chan is kneeling in front of him, cupping his face in his hands. 

The lights are on. When did the lights turn on? 

Quiet footsteps approach but before Seungmin even has a chance to stiffen up, Chan has let go of his face and something soft is being pressed into his hold.  _ Oh. Puppy. _ Seungmin squeezes Puppy until his fingertips turn white and Chan reaches out again, covering Seungmin’s hands with his own and rubbing gently over his knuckles. 

Soft words start to filter into his brain, and he recognizes that Chan’s talking him through breathing exercises. It’s a struggle to follow the words, and actually breathing normally is completely out of reach for what feels like forever, but eventually his chest stops heaving and bones stop trying to jump out of his body. 

Seungmin flips one hand over, squeezing at Chan’s fingers to let him know he’s responsive again. 

“Welcome back, puppy. Do you want me to get Jeongin to sing for you?” 

Seungmin shakes his head quickly. Jeongin had a long day and he deserves the rest. Seungmin can manage; Chan and Jisung just being there is already calming him down a lot. 

“Can I hold one of your hands, cherry?” Jisung kneels next to Chan and at Seungmin’s consent, takes one of his hands. Chan rearranges Puppy to sit on Seungmin’s thighs. “Is there anything I can do for you?” 

Seungmin nods and weakly opens his arms a little, not trusting his voice. 

“You want a hug?” 

Another nod, and Seungmin is quickly engulfed in warmth on both sides. Four arms wrap around him and he slides to the floor, halfway on top of both of them. 

“Our puppy,” Chan murmurs. “You’re safe now. We’ll protect you.” 

“You’re safe here,” Jisung adds, equally soft. “Nothing gets through those doors without Minho’s approval.” 

Seungmin nods into someone’s shoulder, thoroughly drained. 

Being held, being reminded of his physical form in a comforting way rather than a terrifying one, helps ground Seungmin. The gentle words repeated in his ears help as well, though he suspects they might be just as much for Chan and Jisung’s own sakes. 

“Let’s get you to bed, okay, darling?” Chan’s voice rises above the slow tide of murmurs and Seungmin nods. He opens his mouth to speak but his throat tightens and nothing comes out. He grabs at Chan and Jisung, panic spiking again. 

“Breathe, cherry,” Jisung says, cupping Seungmin’s face in his palms. “You don’t have to talk, nobody’s gonna make you, nothing’s gonna happen that’ll make you need to talk, okay? Just breathe for me.” 

Seungmin nods again, starting to feel a little like a bobblehead, and sucks in a deep breath. 

“There you go, darling. Up we go, yeah?” Chan lifts him effortlessly, setting him on his feet. Jisung swoops Puppy up from the ground and tucks him into Seungmin’s arms. Chan leads him to the bedroom and lets him stand in the middle of the room. 

“Cherry?” Jisung asks hesitantly. 

Seungmin hums. 

“Would you like me to bring you your journal?” 

Seungmin nods, making eye contact with Jisung for what feels like the first time all night. 

“Okay, I’ll do that. Chan’s bringing you some clothes to change into, then you can do your journal, then we’ll brush our teeth and wash our faces before bed. Does that sound okay?” 

Seungmin nods again. He holds out his arms before Jisung can turn away, wordlessly asking for contact. Jisung complies immediately, crossing the room in long strides to wrap Seungmin in his arms. 

“I love you, baby,” he says into Seungmin’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you today.” 

Seungmin whacks his shoulder. Jisung pulls away slightly, confused. Seungmin glares. 

“Oh.” Jisung pulls him close again. “I know, it’s not my fault I wasn’t there. I just wish it hadn’t happened.” 

“Hyung?” 

Jeongin’s at the door, rubbing his eyes sleepily. 

“Innie? What are you doing up?” 

“Heard Chan-hyung making noise but he left before I could ask why he was rummaging around in your stuff. Seungmin-hyung, are you okay?” 

Seungmin has frozen up. Jisung looks between him and Jeongin for a second before stepping carefully between them. 

“He’ll be okay. Chan and I are handling it, alright? Could you go back to bed for me, baby?” 

Jeongin nods silently, eyes wide. He disappears into the hallway and Seungmin’s knees give out. 

“Seung–!” Jisung catches him, lowering him the rest of the way to the floor. “You’re safe, he’s safe, everyone here is okay, nobody’s going to ask you to talk about it until you’re ready, okay?” 

Seungmin nods jerkily. 

“Are you okay if I go get your journal, or would you like me to stay here until Chan-hyung gets back?” 

“No worries, Sung.” Chan’s voice comes softly from the doorway. Seungmin’s head snaps up to look at him, but some of the tension eases out of his shoulders at the sight of his comfiest pajamas in Chan’s arms. 

Jisung carefully loosens Seungmin’s grip on his shirt and slips away, letting Chan into Seungmin’s space to replace him. With quiet promises to be right back, he too vanishes into the ether. 

“I’m going to get changed as well, so just let me know if you need help, yeah?” 

Seungmin takes the clothes from Chan and methodically, almost robotically, changes. He catches Chan’s eyes on him as he finishes pulling the shirt over his head, but ignores it in favor of turning his clothes right-side-out and dropping them in the hamper. It’s not worth bringing them back to his own room; either they’ll find their way back into his closet eventually or he’ll abscond with some replacements from someone else. 

Jisung arrives moments later, wearing pajamas and holding Seungmin’s journal out. 

“Here you go, cherry!” His voice is hushed but light. “Once you’re done we’ll go brush teeth and stuff.” 

Seungmin takes the journal with a grateful smile, settling on the edge of the bed. He accepts the pencil Chan holds out for him and gets to work. 

Writing is calming. Something about the physical motions, the total concentration of putting thought to words, the beauty of a full page and a blank one to come has always brought Seungmin joy. Right now, he’s able to focus on the earlier parts of his day and dissolve completely into the routine until he doesn’t even notice what Chan and Jisung are up to in the rest of the room. 

His writing shakes a little when he gets to the walk home, but covering exclusively the actions and leaving the emotions for another day steadies his hand. He will have to think about it, but it’s too fresh, too raw right now. He’d rather curl into a ball with Chan and Jisung and leave the knot in his stomach for untangling tomorrow. 

When he’s finished journaling, they trek to the bathroom and finish cleaning themselves up with little fanfare. Chan and Jisung keep themselves tucked against Seungmin’s sides, probably as much for themselves as for him. 

Jisung takes a running start and swan-dives onto the bed, leaving Seungmin giggling and Chan sighing in the doorway. 

“Alright, let’s get comfy.” Chan lifts the covers to let Seungmin climb in, then follows him and drops the covers like closing a door. Seungmin ends up in the middle, to absolutely no one’s surprise, but he’s glad. He lets Chan tuck himself around his back and obligingly wraps his arms around Jisung when he cuddles close. 

They settle into silence for several minutes, each hoping the others will fall asleep first. 

“Chan?” Seungmin eventually asks. 

Chan hums against the back of his neck. 

“Did you … did you have any premonitions about tonight?” There’s nothing that could’ve stopped this happening, but morbid curiosity makes him ask. Chan’s hesitation worms under his skin. 

“Not really,” he says finally. “I had a bad feeling, but those can mean anything from ‘Hyunjin dropped his cup and got soda all over the floor’ to ‘there’s a storm coming and a tree is going to fall on the house.’ I’ve learned to recognize when they happen, but I don’t go through my day any differently because of them.” 

“Okay,” Seungmin says quietly. “I know – I know it wouldn’t have changed anything even if you’d seen it. I just wanted to know.” 

“It’s okay to want to know, darling.” 

“Will I– Should I talk to the others about it tomorrow?” 

“You’re under no obligation to.” Chan takes a breath to continue but Jisung cuts in. 

“You can tell them if and when you’re ready. Chan and I can give them the information they need as they need it, but we won’t ever make you talk about it.” 

“Okay.” Seungmin’s turned from a bobblehead into a prerecorded doll, repeating words and phrases ad nauseum. 

“We can talk about it tomorrow,” Chan says, arm tightening around Seungmin’s waist. “Let’s just sleep for now.” 

Jisung hums some sort of agreement, already halfway to dreamland. Seungmin relaxes and follows suit. 

“Hey, what the fuck happened last night?” 

Seungmin wakes to a whisper from Chan’s side of the bed. Sounds like … Minho? Chan shifts a little, careful not to move Seungmin. 

“We got home late, why?” 

“I woke up and half the magic in the front hall is about to snap. Did someone get in a fight?” 

“No, no…” Chan pauses. Seungmin can picture his face, brows furrowed as he figures out how much of the need-to-know information Minho needs to know. “Seungmin got home with a lot of negative emotion. The magic probably overworked itself trying to dampen it.” 

Minho makes a soft  _ tsk  _ sound. 

“I knew I should’ve woven the entrance magic tighter.” 

“Hey.” Chan twists enough to free his arm from Seungmin’s waist. “None of that. Hindsight 20-20, yeah? I’ll help you work on repairing it after the other two wake up.” 

“The other  _ one,” _ Minho says. “I think I woke Seungie when I came in.” 

“Not ‘til you started talking,” Seungmin whispers. Chan startles. 

“You two, I swear.” He sounds a little exasperated, but mostly fond. 

“It’s the divorced energy,” Minho says. Seungmin buries his smile in Jisung’s hair. 

Seungmin has a healthy distrust of most of his boyfriends in the kitchen. Chan and Minho are fine, as well as sometimes Felix, but when he walks in to find Jisung leaning over a steaming pot of something on the stove, he is  _ very suspicious. _

“Sungie? What’cha up to?” 

Jisung looks up, startled. 

“Uh …” 

That’s not reassuring. 

“Jisung?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Are you making something? Or just keeping an eye on it?” It’s not uncommon for Minho to leave one of the younger members watching a pot or pan, ensuring nothing boils over or burns while he deals with chaos elsewhere in the dorm. 

“Making something,” Jisung mumbles guiltily. “At least, I was trying to.” 

Seungmin approaches the stove and finds Jisung poking at a solid clump of something yellow-black. 

“I’m not sure if I want to know the answer, but what were you trying to make?” 

“I wanted to make you scrambled eggs.” Jisung won’t meet Seungmin’s eyes. 

“Make … for me?” That bit processes first. Then the rest of the sentence sinks in. “Scrambled eggs? Sungie this is a pot. Why are you making eggs in a pot.” 

Jisung looks up at him, eyes wide. 

“What else would I make them in?” 

Seungmin takes a deep breath. 

“I love you. You know that, right? I love you so much.” 

“That’s your Jisung-just-did-something-dumb tone of voice,” Jisung whines. “What did I do?” 

“You tried to make scrambled eggs in a pot! Have you never watched any of us make eggs before?” 

Jisung shrugs a little, helplessly. Seungmin wonders, in a small part of his mind, how on earth Jisung has managed to not poison himself or anyone else before now. 

“I dunno, I never really paid attention to it.” 

Seungmin sighs and kisses Jisung. 

“You’re lucky you’re cute, babe. Let’s get this soaking and I’ll show you how to make eggs.” 

It’s late again. It’s dark out and Seungmin is still at the company building and he could kick himself. 

He really doesn’t want to call a car, but he’d prefer it over walking home alone. Maybe he could get a hot drink from the café while he waits. As a sort of last-ditch effort, he swings by the studios where their resident producing trio like to hang out. 

Jisung’s laughter echoes from an open door as Seungmin enters the hallway. He sends a quick  _ thank you _ to whatever deity is listening this evening and speed-walks over. 

“Sungie?” he asks, sticking his head in the door. Jisung perks up, spinning in his chair. 

“Hi, cherry! What’s up?” 

Suddenly Seungmin’s fear seems stupid. He knows it’s not, but in the face of Jisung’s unwavering happiness he doesn’t really want to ask him and Chan to pack up and leave with him. 

“Um.” 

Jisung wheels over to the door and tugs Seungmin inside. Changbin’s nowhere to be found, though Seungmin thinks he and Minho might be at the gym. Chan’s headphones are around his neck as he, too, turns to face Seungmin. 

“You okay, baby?” 

Seungmin shrugs. 

“I just … it’s nothing.” 

Jisung pouts up at him, pulling Seungmin to sit on his lap. They’re nearly unbalanced by the fact that a) Seungmin has a large bag on his back and b) the chair Jisung’s in is not made for two people. Chan scoots over behind them and eases Seungmin’s backpack off, letting Jisung wrap his arms around his waist. 

“It’s clearly not nothing, darling. Is there something we can do for you?” 

Seungmin purses his lips. It can’t hurt to ask, right? The worst they’ll do is tell him to get a car home. 

“Would you two walk home with me? I just– it’s dark out already because I lost track of time and you guys make me feel safe and I don’t really want to go alone, y’know?” 

Jisung coos softly. It’s somehow not patronizing, though a part of Seungmin feels like it should be. 

“Of course we will, cherry!” 

“I’m not interrupting anything, right?” 

Chan closes his laptop, unplugging his headphones and putting them back in his case. 

“Nothing that can’t be finished later. I think Minho would appreciate us getting home at something resembling a reasonable time, anyway.” 

“Does that mean I have to move?” Jisung asks, pouting. “I’m comfy and Seungminnie is warm.” 

“You’ll be comfier and warmer if you’re in bed, Sungie.” Chan’s already packing his backpack. 

Jisung looks unconvinced. Seungmin leans back a little and offers soft puppy eyes. 

“Please, Sungie?” Jisung melts immediately. 

“Yeah, okay.” 

Chan makes a half-offended, half-exasperated gesture as Jisung turns. Seungmin objectively knows Jisung’s weakness to him, but he doesn’t like taking advantage of it too often. It’s in part because he’s worried Jisung will become resistant and he won’t be able to use it when he really needs it, but also because he feels bad using it as a trump card that others don’t have. 

Jisung does refuse to let Seugnmin out of his lap the entire time he’s packing up. Chan, who’s been ready to go for a full five minutes by the time they’re done, simply lifts Seungmin out of Jisung’s lap and claims him in a back-hug. 

“I’m glad you feel safe with us,” Chan says. It’s loud enough for Jisung to hear but quiet enough to feel intimate. Seungmin curls his hands around where Chan’s are resting on his stomach. “You can come to us any time you’re here late, okay? We’re happy to take care of you whenever you need it. It doesn’t matter how big or small, if you need us to walk you home tomorrow or if you need us to walk you home in three years.” 

Jisung zips his bag shut and pushes his chair across the room. It lands close enough to the desk that he just shrugs and turns around. 

“Let’s go!” 

Chan muffles his laugh in Seungmin’s neck. 

They end up walking in a line down the sidewalk; it’s late enough that there’s not much traffic and they collapse into single-file when need be. Seungmin lets each of them hold one of his hands. 

Chan and Jisung don’t have the super-strength a vampire would or persuasion like a siren or even a dragon’s sheer intimidation factor, but they feel safe. It’s not a rational feeling, not something he can give reasoning behind, but he doesn’t need to. 

Seungmin squeezes their hands as shadows emerge from and melt into alleys. Jisung and Chan let him control the pace they walk at. He’s grateful they don’t push him to speed up as much as they don’t try to drop the tempo of their steps. 

Nothing happens on the walk. It’s no surprise, both because Seungmin’s …  _ experience  _ the other night is unlike anything any of them have gone through before and because a group of three is far less likely to be targeted than a single lonely-smelling wolf. 

When they enter the dorm, though, Minho’s magic still shaves more fear off of Seungmin’s body than he even realized he was carrying. 

“Alright, love,” Chan says, sliding Seungmin’s coat off his shoulders. “Let’s get you to bed.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!   
> twitter  
> curiouscat  
> Feel free to leave a kudos or a comment if you're so inclined <3


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